“I believe Ilia Topuria will be champion tonight, even if it means beating my favorite fighter, Alex Volkanovski,” Merab Dvalishvili told Joe Rogan and the crowd at UFC 298 in Anaheim after defeating Henry Cejudo. Sure enough, Ilia Topuria went on to defeat Volkanovski and claim the featherweight title. ‘El Matador’ became the first Georgian-Spaniard UFC champion. Later, ‘The Machine’ followed suit, capturing the bantamweight belt at UFC 306 with a win over Sean O’Malley.

Topuria and Merab have consistently shown admiration and respect for one another. Time and again, they’ve had each other’s backs whenever a championship opportunity came along. And now, when the reigning bantamweight champ is getting ready to defend his belt once again at UFC 316 headliner against Sean O’Malley, ‘El Matador’ shared a powerful message.

Ilia Topuria is sure of Merab Dvaslishvili’s victory at UFC 316 against Sean O’Malley

Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley have wrapped up their face-off, and the clip has been making waves across social media. Ilia Topuria took notice and dropped a supportive comment on X, writing, “The victory belongs to you, brother.” The message quickly caught the eye of the man it was meant for, who replied with, “My brother,” followed by a heart and fist emoji.

That moment added yet another chapter to the growing bond between the two. With Ilia Topuria set to headline the upcoming International Fight Week event against Charles Oliveira, his public show of support for his fellow countryman speaks volumes. That kind of brotherly connection, especially ahead of two massive fights, can only strengthen their spirits as they both prepare for war inside the Octagon.

The former featherweight champ might be confident in his fellow countryman’s chances, but not everyone shares that outlook heading into this highly anticipated rematch. ‘Suga’ and his camp claim they’ve corrected every mistake from their previous bout. And that shift in preparation has caught the attention of a former middleweight champion, who believes the challenger has the power to end the fight in the blink of an eye.

Israel Adesanya believes O’Malley can catch Merab early 

Sean O’Malley has claimed he’s “70% better” heading into the rematch and says he’s made all the right lifestyle changes to reclaim the bantamweight title. With that kind of confidence, it’s clear the competition is going to be fierce. Adding fuel to the fire, Israel Adesanya, who recently shared a training session with O’Malley and his team, believes the former champ can get it done in under two rounds at the UFC 316 main event

‘The Last Stylebender’ on his breakdown YouTube video said, “I love the discipline, I love the focus, and Merab lives this as well. Merab is gonna come ready, fully equipped, and he’s got the confidence because he knows he’s beaten him before, and he’s ‘The Machine’. But I just feel like Sean is dialed in, and Sean can catch him. Merab gets hit, and Sean can catch him. Official pick: I’m gonna go Sean O’Malley, and it’s gonna be the return to the Sugar Show. Knockout. Round two.”

Adesanya brings a balanced perspective to the table. He understands that Merab Dvalishvili will be as relentless as ever. Especially after his dominant showing against Umar Nurmagomedov. But at the same time, the threat of O’Malley catching his opponent clean is always looming. ‘Suga’ has proven the precision of his right hand time and again. Using a sharp one-two to overwhelm Marlon Vera at UFC 299, and before that, landing a picture-perfect right to stop Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

And that’s the real intrigue heading into the Newark, New Jersey headliner, who’s going to show the bigger improvements in this rematch? Will Merab’s relentless pressure prevail, or will ‘Suga’ Sean’s sniper-like precision steal the show? Topuria’s backing Merab, Adesanya’s riding with Sean, but what about you? Drop your pick in the comments below!